When Sakura Blossoms Fall
Chapter 4: Deserters and Arrivals
Kenji shuddered as he stepped slowly, almost reluctantly, onto the dark train. Lightning routinely flashed, illuminating his cold blue eyes amid the surrounding darkness, and always followed almost instantly by a deafening clap of thunder. He turned away from the window, disconcerted. It was as if the heavens themselves were protesting his decision.
I'm not running away!
The wheels on the steam engine squeaked unwillingly as they were forced to begin turning, and a sharp whistle pierced the gray, foggy evening. Kenji glanced impulsively back out the small square window. His heart skipped a beat.
Chizuru was standing there on the platform, watching him calmly with her large brown eyes. She grinned convincingly—too convincingly—and began to wave enthusiastically as they made eye contact. She wasn't in line for a ticket, and she made no effort to move closer to him. She wasn't going to follow.
Kenji returned her gesture half-heartedly, barely managing a tenuous smile. She didn't get it, did she? She didn't realize that he was leaving because of her. Usually he admired her for her innocence, but sometimes her naivete could be somewhat upsetting.
He ran through the justifications for his actions for the umpteenth time as he felt himself begin to weaken under her gaze. This was best for both of them. He was a swordsman to the core, and he couldn't allow frivolous emotions to get in the way of his training. He had wasted enough time. He needed to get back on the path to the goal he had been originally pursuing when he first journeyed here, no matter what sacrifices were required. And she . . . well, he couldn't bear to remain here and watch her suffer.
I am not a coward!
Kenji turned away abruptly with a frown as the clouds overhead finally opened and rain began to fall in torrents. Most of the civilians on the platform scurried away, seeking shelter from the sudden inclement weather. But Chizuru remained where she was, her brimming eyes never wavering from his face, even when he turned violently away from her. Her hand dropped to her side as the train slowly pulled away from the station, but she didn't turn away until long after it was completely out of sight. Those huddling together where it was dry called to the drenched young girl standing alone in the rain, but she paid them no heed.
Kenji sank deeper into his seat and swore under his breath.
Tokyo. It was just as he remembered it. He hadn't expected much to change in the mere year of his absence, but the fact that nothing visible had altered in the slightest since his parents' deaths caused an uncomfortable stirring of painful and all-too-familiar emotions within him.
He chuckled derisively for a moment, drawing the questioning glances of his fellow passengers. Was this really what it had come to? He had made an unofficial vow to himself to never return here for more than a limited visit. Yet here he was, on the city's doorstep, looking to make some kind of living for himself here for heaven only knew how long. Hiko's response to his decision to return home flashed through his head. The old man's words had formed a habit of doing that routinely over the last day or so.
So even that hated city is appealing to you when you're faced to confront your fear of attachment. I didn't believe you were that weak, Himura.
"I'm not weak!"
He smiled bleakly as a family of three paused to openly stare at him, then pushed his way through the rest of the crowds and down the street before someone called the police and accused him of insanity.
Most of the train ride had been spent staring lazily out the window and trying to erase the image of Chizuru at the train station from his memory. But now Kenji's thoughts were consumed by the immediate and practical: where he would stay, how he would find Yahiko, how he would continue living on his limited amount of money. He sighed. He might have hated the old man for refusing to train him anymore, but Hiko's hospitality really had saved his life so far. He would never take that run-down hut for granted again.
"Kenji-kun!"
He swivelled his head around in the direction of the voice and smiled genuinely for the first time in hours. He was incapable of remaining melancholy and bitter around such a permanently optimistic woman.
"Tsubame."
She was just as he remembered. Her soft brown hair was short, in the same style she had worn when he was just a baby, and probably even before that. Her dark eyes and pale but ever-smiling face betrayed no signs of having aged at all.
But there was one very distinct change. Kenji's azure eyes widened significantly as he recognized the very conspicuous bulge where her stomach should have been. He sighed. He really didn't need another intemperate, irate, unstable woman on his hands right now. Misao was bad enough. After all, she even had Aoshi cowering in submission on occasion. It couldn't be mere coincidence. Fate was out to get him. Or maybe there's something in the water.
He shook his head. They had kept virtually no contact since he had gone to Kyoto, but Yahiko at least could have mentioned that.
Tsubame blushed and smiled shyly as she noticed where Kenji was staring.
"Yahiko didn't tell you?" she asked in her usually quiet and unthreatening voice. Kenji shook his head and pulled his eyes away from their rude stare, turning his eyes to her face.
"It's good to see you again, Tsubame-san."
"And it's so wonderful to see you, too! Just look at how much you've grown!" She leaned forward to hug him, which was awkward considering the state of her swollen stomach. Her eyes were swimming with joyful tears as she pulled back, and she put her arm through one of his, leading him to the Akabeko.
"Come on, I'll take you in and make you some dinner. You must be famished!"
Yahiko nearly choked on the rice ball he was snacking on when he laid eyes Kenji. The young swordsman chuckled as his surrogate brother stood and crossed the room, extending a welcoming hand and smiling. Kenji took it and shook firmly.
"Welcome home, Kenji."
Thankfully, neither Yahiko nor Tsubame mentioned the circumstances of his last visit or questioned his presence in Tokyo now throughout dinner. Kenji gorged himself that night, filling himself to capacity with the amazing food he had been missing for months. Yahiko was lucky to have Tsubame, for more reason than one.
"Kenji?"
"Yeah?" Kenji replied, looking up from his bowl. Tsubame had returned to the Akabeko to close up, and the two swordsmen now sat alone in the couple's apartment above the restaurant.
"Why did you come back?"
Kenji chuckled nervously and shrugged. "Oh, I guess it was just time for a visit."
"Hiko's not training you anymore, is he?"
The redhead frowned. "No."
"You know, I'm the master of the Kamiya Kasshin now, and you're always welcome to—"
"No thank you, Yahiko."
Yahiko smiled and nodded. "I thought so. You really still see us as weak and misled, don't you?"
"Don't forget foolishly idealistic."
The elder man laughed quietly. "Oh well, it was worth a try. Will you be staying in the dojo? It's officially yours, after all."
"Don't be ridiculous, Yahiko," Tsubame interrupted from the doorway. "He can stay with us!"
Yahiko's eyes drifted lazily open in the middle of the night, and he rubbed them in annoyance before rolling over and trying to fall back asleep. A few moments later, he realized what had awakened him initially as his wife gasped sharply.
He rolled over to find Tsubame sitting up, one hand on her stomach, and her face twisted in pain. She immediately tried to smooth over her expression as she realized that her husband was awake and watching her, and smiled unconvincingly. Yahiko shook his head. She might appear soft, but she was a stoic through and through.
"Tsubame, what's wrong?"
She opened her mouth to assure him that everything was fine, but paused in indecision. She grimaced again and turned to Yahiko.
"Anata, I think you should get a doctor."
"A doctor? Tsubame, what's going on, are you—"
Yahiko shut his mouth as five powerful fingers clamped down on his arm.
"Anata," Tsubame muttered through gritted teeth, "get a doctor now."
Yahiko had bolted from their futon and through the fusama before she could utter another word. He nearly knocked Kenji down on the way, who had heard him pounding through the hallway and exited his room to discover the cause of the ruckus.
"Yahiko, what's going on?"
"It's Tsubame," Yahiko answered palely, "I think she's going to have the baby."
"Can I go get a doctor?"
Yahiko almost ignored the request and pushed past him to run to the clinic himself, but suddenly realized that he would much rather remain here with his wife to comfort her if he could help it.
"You remember where the clinic is?"
"Of course."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Will you hurry?"
"Yes,Yahiko," Kenji said, growing impatient with the other man's patronizing and doubtful attitude, "everything will be fine." Yahiko smiled reluctantly and nodded, thanking Kenji and turning back to his own room.
"Yahiko, why are you still here?"
"Don't worry, Kenji's fetching a doctor."
Kenji sprinted through the dark streets as fast as he could, relying on the moonlight to guide his way. More than one very close friend of his mother and father had run the closest clinic when he had lived here, and finding it was almost second nature. Dr. Genzai had long ago passed on, and Megumi had since moved to Aizu, only returning to care for his mother during her darkest hour, but the two had left another well trained and talented physician in their place. Kenji smiled in relief as the clinic door he was pounding on slid open.
"Kenji? Is it really you?"
"Ayame-san!"
Ten minutes later Kenji watched the bickering pair in front of him with a crooked smile. Almost upon the moment of Ayame's arrival, Yahiko had started causing problems for the young doctor. At first she had borne the man and dismissed his behavior as a result of worry, but eventually her patience had cracked. Now they were standing outside of the Akabeko in the middle of the night, yelling at each other like a pair of four-year-olds.
"Come on, Ayame! Kenshin was there when Kaoru had Kenji!" Yahiko complained, pointing to the redhead standing next to him.
"Well I wasn't the doctor then, was I? And I say you're staying out here!"
"But Kenshin—"
"Kenshin could control himself!"
"I played with you when you were a kid!"
"You pulled my hair when I was a kid, now shut up and stay put!"
The livid doctor stormed into the Akabeko, slamming the shoji behind her. Kenji placed a hand on Yahiko's shoulder to restrict him from following.
"Tsubame-san will be fine, Yahiko."
Kenji chuckled at the thought of Ayame and Yahiko fighting as children. It was hard to picture a woman that was like an aunt to him as a child, but in Yahiko's case it wasn't as difficult.
Just as the sun was beginning to emerge as a mere sliver of light in the east, and Yahiko was ready to stressfully tear his hair out, Ayame stepped outside, a pleased smile on her face. Yahiko stood, his eyes wide with anxiety, but relaxed at Ayame's words.
"Congratulations Yahiko, you're the father of a healthy baby boy."
"And Tsubame?"
"She's just fine. You can see her now."
Yahiko laughed softly as he saw the dark-haired baby sleeping peacefully in the arms of his wife. Tsubame looked up at him with a wide smile.
"He looks just like you, anata."
Kenji snickered from the hallway. "Poor kid."
Over two hundred miles away, another child was about to experience the beginning of its mortal existence. Aoshi cringed as another loud groan sounded from the adjacent room.
"Chizuru, get some towels and hot water."
"Hai."
Shinomori Asuka took her first breath just hours after Yahiko and Tsubame's little Shinya did. Both Aoshi and Misao sighed in exhausted relief as a piercing cry filled the room, replacing Misao's vulgar curses at the pain she had been forced to endure because of her husband. Misao beamed as she watched her raven-headed daughter open her eyes for the first time.
"Oh Aoshi, she has your eyes."
And Aoshi actually smiled.
Chizuru wiped at her moist brow and smiled as she listened from the hallway.
"Oh Kenji, you really should have been here."
Ok, here's the new chapter four. Yes, Chizuru and Kenji have been separated, but don't worry. It won't last forever. Many thanks to my reviewers: RougeShadow, AllyCat06, Raeyn-chan, and Steph. You guys are really helpful and motivating! More reviews/suggestions are always welcome!
